Biocidal mechanisms of metallic copper surfaces

TY - CHAP

T1 - Biocidal mechanisms of metallic copper surfaces

AU - Santo, Christophe Espirito

AU - German, Nadezha

AU - Elguindi, Jutta

AU - Grass, Gregor

AU - Rensing, Christopher Günther T

PY - 2014/7/1

Y1 - 2014/7/1

N2 - Hospital acquired infections (HAI), also known as nosocomial infections, have a vast impact on patient and staff health and affect survival chances of patients with compromised immune system, elderly, and young children. Moreover, hospital environments are favoring the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, making treatment of such HAI more challenging. The Center of Disease Control estimates that one of the deadliest types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), causes 19,000 death cases per year, whereas another superbug, Clostridium difficile, causes 500,000 incidents per year. The natural medicinal and sanitizing properties of copper and its minerals were used throughout the ages by many civilizations. However, only recently have we started understanding the mechanisms of such bactericidal effects of copper. One of the latest research developments in this area is concerned with showing that metallic copper surfaces strongly reduce microbial surface-burden, both in laboratory settings and healthcare environments. Microbiologists and hygiene specialists are increasingly recognizing this unique antimicrobial property of metallic copper as a very promising novel tool for reducing HAI, which are known to spread through touching contaminated surfaces. Copper surfaces have universal microbe-inactivating properties against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes under moist (droplets of cell suspensions, mimicking splash-contamination) or dry (direct contact between cells and surfaces, mimicking touch surfaces) conditions. This chapter reviews the molecular mechanisms underlying bactericidal properties of solid copper surfaces and factors that influence such processes: copper surface oxidation and corrosion, copper cell accumulation, copper alloy content and roughness, temperature, moisture, presence of chelators, osmotic stress, reactive oxygen species, cellular characteristics, cell wall structure, spores, genetic traits for copper resistance systems, anaerobiosis, viable but not culturable state (VBNC). Additionally, primary targets for metallic copper toxicity, DNA and lipids, are also included in discussion in this chapter. Our understanding of the antimicrobial properties of metallic copper surfaces have made great strides in the last 5 years both under laboratories and healthcare conditions, highlighting safe, economical and sustainable application of metallic copper surfaces in hospital or any public settings for prevention of HAI.

AB - Hospital acquired infections (HAI), also known as nosocomial infections, have a vast impact on patient and staff health and affect survival chances of patients with compromised immune system, elderly, and young children. Moreover, hospital environments are favoring the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, making treatment of such HAI more challenging. The Center of Disease Control estimates that one of the deadliest types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), causes 19,000 death cases per year, whereas another superbug, Clostridium difficile, causes 500,000 incidents per year. The natural medicinal and sanitizing properties of copper and its minerals were used throughout the ages by many civilizations. However, only recently have we started understanding the mechanisms of such bactericidal effects of copper. One of the latest research developments in this area is concerned with showing that metallic copper surfaces strongly reduce microbial surface-burden, both in laboratory settings and healthcare environments. Microbiologists and hygiene specialists are increasingly recognizing this unique antimicrobial property of metallic copper as a very promising novel tool for reducing HAI, which are known to spread through touching contaminated surfaces. Copper surfaces have universal microbe-inactivating properties against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes under moist (droplets of cell suspensions, mimicking splash-contamination) or dry (direct contact between cells and surfaces, mimicking touch surfaces) conditions. This chapter reviews the molecular mechanisms underlying bactericidal properties of solid copper surfaces and factors that influence such processes: copper surface oxidation and corrosion, copper cell accumulation, copper alloy content and roughness, temperature, moisture, presence of chelators, osmotic stress, reactive oxygen species, cellular characteristics, cell wall structure, spores, genetic traits for copper resistance systems, anaerobiosis, viable but not culturable state (VBNC). Additionally, primary targets for metallic copper toxicity, DNA and lipids, are also included in discussion in this chapter. Our understanding of the antimicrobial properties of metallic copper surfaces have made great strides in the last 5 years both under laboratories and healthcare conditions, highlighting safe, economical and sustainable application of metallic copper surfaces in hospital or any public settings for prevention of HAI.

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-08057-4_6

DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-08057-4_6

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-3-319-08056-7

SP - 103

EP - 136

BT - Use of biocidal surfaces for reduction of healthcare acquired infections

A2 - Borkow, Gadi

PB - Springer

ER -